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Who or what should replace the CowboyNeal option in polls?
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Don't you wish you had more energy... or less ambition?
(Score: 5, Insightful) by TrumpetPower! on Thursday February 20 2014, @12:50AM
First, every poll should have some variation on the "none of the above" theme.
Past that...well, each poll is going to have its own flavor and should get its own treatment. For some, a boring, literal, "None of the above," will be the least offensive. For others, something wild and wacky will work wonders. Sometimes, that'll be our old pal, CoyboyNeal; others...well, who knows?
I'm curious to find out, though....
Cheers,
b&
All but God can prove this sentence true.
(Score: 0) by crutchy on Thursday February 20 2014, @10:11AM
is it just me or could these polls be a little more thought (or flame) provoking?
like "which phone is better? iphone 5, galaxy s4, sony xperia, (insert various other popular phone models here), maxwell smart shoe phone, star trek communicator, the force, what's a phone?"
ok that was shit, but i'm sure there are plenty more intelligent folk out there than me that could come up with something better
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Thursday February 20 2014, @01:09PM
1st: Star Trek communicator
2nd: Smart's shoe phone.
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 1) by scruffybeard on Thursday February 20 2014, @06:28PM
Hold on. Are we talking about Kirk's flip communicator, or Picard's com-badge?
(Score: 3, Funny) by Gaaark on Thursday February 20 2014, @06:57PM
Picard? You mean there is more than one Star Trek?
Whoa,,, slow down there... now you're going to tell me there is more than one Battlestar Galactica!
Almost had me there, you jokester, you.
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 1) by scruffybeard on Thursday February 20 2014, @07:46PM
Ha Ha! Really had you going, didn't I? I mean who would ever think of remaking such classics as Robocop, Godzilla, and Planet of the Apes? Unthinkable, am I right!?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 24 2014, @09:12PM
At least there will only be one slashdot.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by mindriot on Thursday February 20 2014, @06:03PM
soylent_uid=$(echo $slash_uid|cut -c1,3,5)
(Score: 1) by jt on Monday February 24 2014, @01:19AM
Exactly - no point in trying to hard to create a meme; the meme will naturally emerge, when something just sticks. That being said, I voted 'CowboyNeal' here as it has a nice, warm nostalgic glow, rather than the negativity of the Dice.com option or the blandness of the others.
(Score: 1) by mojo chan on Thursday February 20 2014, @05:54PM
Having "none of the above" would ruin the traditional complaining about lack of options / insensitive clod memes though.
const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
(Score: 5, Interesting) by koreanbabykilla on Thursday February 20 2014, @01:01AM
I think it should be "Fuck beta" so we never forget the bullshit that caused soylent news to exist in the first place.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by yellowantphil on Thursday February 20 2014, @02:36AM
I don't know... I'm ready to move on, and not worry about what that "other" tech news website is doing. Yes, Dice killed it, but there's no use in staying mad forever.
When the slashcott started, I found it difficult to stay off of the site, but now that Soylent News is up, I don't really miss Slashdot. The news here is good quality, so all we need now is more commenters.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by koreanbabykilla on Thursday February 20 2014, @02:52AM
I agree, I was just saying as a kinda "never forget" kinda thing. hate to see the same mistakes made in another decade. Malda should never have sold it. Hes a cockbag for doing so and Everyone knew that would mark the end of ./ (and it did). I spend my time 75/25 now with the majority here. I would imagine as soon as there are more comments to read here it will end up being 99/1 until dice pulls the plug. A reminder of where you come from can be a good thing, and the "random" option in a poll isn't the worst place to put one.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by koreanbabykilla on Friday February 21 2014, @01:31AM
how the fuck is this modded troll? Troll != disagree. We need more commenters here so I post my opinion just to get bitch slapped? This is how i feel, its not a troll in any sense of the word. What the fuck is the point of the question if you just bitch slap the answers you dont agree with?
(Score: 5, Informative) by pogostix on Friday February 21 2014, @02:04AM
It's a troll cuz you called cmdrtaco a cockbag.
C'mon man, don't get so offended that you got busted.
(Score: 2) by koreanbabykilla on Friday February 21 2014, @02:40AM
You are right, I shouldnt have used that language. correction follows. "Rob Malda destroyed slashdot the day he stopped caring about the community and sold it". I really wasnt trying to troll, and I give props to taco and coyboyneil for writing most of the code we are using as we speak.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Ethanol-fueled on Saturday February 22 2014, @06:15PM
One fact that people seem to forget is that Slashdot rolled out and announced with little fanfare a beta.slashdot.org around 2009 or 2010-ish, but aside from the URL it was identical to slashdot.org. I generally had excellent karma on and off around then, but lost permanently the ability to moderate when I modded CmdrTaco troll in a beta.slashdot.org discussion where he posted something to the effect of "Testing, testing..."
I didn't think much of it then, but looking back I wonder if the plan to cash out was conceived farther back than we the Slashdot readership were led to believe?
Oh, and since I am not permanently banned from posting here (for now, at least) it's pretty surreal not having to use Tor to post anonymously and insert my signature manually every post.
Glad to join you all, fellas!
(Score: 1) by yellowantphil on Friday February 21 2014, @02:11AM
It's especially odd, considering that you were agreeing with my comment. Maybe the site is being a little loose with who gets mod points, and it's the moderator who was the troll in this case.
(Score: 1) by koreanbabykilla on Friday February 21 2014, @02:46AM
Im sure they will iron out the kinks. I wouldnt even have bitched but I want to help improve this place. I think my name causes slow-witted people to automatically mod me troll.
(Score: 1) by koreanbabykilla on Friday February 21 2014, @03:17AM
Times like this I wish I could edit, but still glad I cant cause that what makes slashcode different. No edit, no delete. I'm a lurker. I don't comment much, but love the discussion. I learned most of what I know about tech stuff from chips & dips/ slashdot over the last decade and a half. I 3 soylent news, and I cant wait till there are enough commenters that I can sit back in the shadows and just comment when I know WTF Im taking about (not that often lol). I just know if there are 7 comments, I dont bother. I made this username more than 10 years ago when the koreans were fucking up the US Diablo 2 servers. Probably should have changed it when I moved here, but now I figure It just shows the flaws in the mods.
I really and truly hope in 10-15 years this is still the place I come first when I wake up to read intelligent discussion and to learn things.
I keep getting 10 mod points then lose them when someone doesn't like what I have to say. Then my karma hits 0 and they disappear. Its disheartening. I'm really trying to contribute and I get a big "FUCK YOU" in return.
I didnt say I demand! you make it "fuck beta".
I made a suggestion.
I guess If my karma stays low its cause people hate what I have to say and I should just lurk.
either way Im not going anywhere and I 3 all the soylentnews staff for all the hard work they have put into this.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by mcgrew on Friday February 21 2014, @09:13PM
Malda should never have sold it.
I don't know, I imagine I would have. He was probably getting sick of slashdot anyway. Hell, I let my old Quake site lapse out of my own boredom with it and nobody even offered me any money. Had I been offered enough to retire on, well, of course I would have taken it.
I don't blame Malda a bit. I blame the greedy cockbiting corporate greedsters who bought it.
Look what happened to K5 when Rusty got tired of it. It was a thriving community. The site's still up, but there's no community any more (maybe a dozen people left), the trolls ran everyone off. And I don't doubt Rusty could have sold it, and he's probably kicking himself for not doing so.
Nothing lasts forever. I'm kind of glad Dice started that Beta bullshit because it caused soylent to come into existance, and IMO soylent is a better site so far. Five years from now, who knows?
Poe's Law [nooze.org] has nothing to do with Edgar Allen Poetry
(Score: 1) by fx_68 on Monday February 24 2014, @05:42AM
I'm glad soylentnews.org is up and running strong. I was very disappointed in /. As well as the beta.
It screamed Google news in beta. I looked to you guys and gals for insiteful information as well as comments on your view of the subjects posted.
OK. Back to hoho's and dew
Some where on the black vein highways of America......
(Score: 2, Interesting) by hankwang on Sunday February 23 2014, @01:20AM
It's easy to say that today, but what would have been the alternative? Today, servers are cheap. But on 1999's hardware, it was probably not that easy to run a site with slashdot's traffic. According to Wikipedia, Slashdot was netting about $20k per year: not enough to hire even one more full-time staff member. Selling the business to a company that can do the necessary investments is the only way to grow. I think Malda mentioned in an interview (two years ago?) that probably Slashdot wouldn't have survived on its own, without those investments.
It makes one wonder whether it's possible to sell a company and still have a way to guarantee that the spirit is kept, other than having the founder keep 51% of the shares.
Avantslash: SoylentNews for mobile [avantslash.org]
(Score: 3, Insightful) by hemocyanin on Thursday February 20 2014, @03:33AM
Exactly the same sentiment here. I actually did totally abstain during the slashcott but it was rough. Like coming off crack or something. I returned to /. just in time to see a post about SN going live and now I don't miss /. all. I maybe check once a day, but unless I'm really interested in something, I don't even open the articles. so -- I'm happy to say that since I've taken up the SN heroin, I don't miss the /. crack at all.
(Score: 1) by joshuajon on Friday February 21 2014, @05:13PM
Did they post about it? I actually went over there to search for such a story but couldn't find it. Link it here if you are able, I'm curious to read their take on it.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 21 2014, @06:46PM
(Score: 2, Interesting) by No.Limit on Friday February 21 2014, @10:27PM
did the boycott, read a few stories and then came across a comment about sn.
never looked back ever since.
but then I've only been part of ./ for a year or two, so I guess I'm not quite a hardcore addict as others here
but hey, now I got a low id!
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Saturday February 22 2014, @12:11AM
I like your attitude...
Me, I wish my uid was lower! :)
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 2, Interesting) by tynin on Friday February 21 2014, @10:00PM
I'll admit, I couldn't keep away during the slashcott. I even posted once or twice. But the moment I read about SN (and technocrat.net coming back), I deleted all of my /. bookmarks.
/. and I still feel like I'll never need another hit. This is literally the longest I've been without that site in the last decade+. We can be strong as a community and give up that old tired crack for this higher grade old school crack, that we so SO need!
::smacks vein waiting for the next story to be posted::
Today is day 3 without
(Score: 1) by Acabatag on Monday February 24 2014, @12:05AM
I know what you mean about /. withdrawals.
I found out about the 9/11 Attack on that fateful morning because somebody posted an off-topic comment about it in a Slashdot thread. It was a 'whoops, better go check what the non-nerds are up to' moment for me.
(Score: 1) by strength_of_10_men on Thursday February 20 2014, @06:54PM
I'm with you on this one. I did the boycott and it was easier than I thought it would be, with the help of Ars and Reddit. But since I've found SN, it's been no going back. Their loss.
(Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 21 2014, @03:31AM
I'm here! Your handy dandy AC Troll!
The colors are all wrong here. And really, the Slashdot layout from 1999?!
I mean come on people!
You asked for commenters, you didn't say what quality. :-P
(Score: 1) by ikanreed on Monday February 24 2014, @08:01PM
My work unblocked it, so one more. Unless I don't show up, like some kind of liar.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by c0lo on Thursday February 20 2014, @06:45AM
I object. A meme, by its very nature, is a piece of ethos that potentially transcends the authors or social group which gave birth to it. Now, from this perspective:
* why should we extend the trauma over the aeons to come?
* I mean... look at the Northern Ireland for example. Do you really want your grandkids to remember and always be resentful towards the dice followers?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2, Interesting) by WildWombat on Friday February 21 2014, @01:47AM
I disagree. Although Fuck Beta is still often directed at Dice I think it also has a larger meaning. A stand against change for the sake of monetizing and ruining something wonderful for the sake of some money grubbing corporate overlord sons of bitches. You digg? See, that one didn't stand the test of time, but I think Fuck Beta might. Shit, I almost feel like I should trademark Fuck Beta and sue everyone who uses it as some sort of quixotic meta protest against corporatism run amok.
Or not.
Cheers,
-WW
P.S. I think I'm going to snack on some Olives and Feta.
(Score: 1, Informative) by crutchy on Thursday February 20 2014, @10:14AM
thanks to you sir i have slobbery pieces of corn chips inbetween the keys of my keyboard :-P
(Score: 2, Insightful) by LookIntoTheFuture on Thursday February 20 2014, @11:17AM
The anger for me is over. Because of beta, Soylentnews was born. Seeing its birth was one of the most beautiful things I have ever experienced on the web. Open source software FTW! I give thanks to everyone that has made it possible. You've made a lovely home for all of us to enjoy. Keep up the great work!
We should definitely keep the meme. Why was CowboyNeal chosen for the /. polls?
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Thursday February 20 2014, @01:21PM
There's no need for anger, indeed. However, I think we should be poking fun of them just for cheap laughs. It doesn't have to be the same thing each poll, in fact, having it varied is probably better.
The Soylent IRC customised IdleRPG will have some mild anti-slashdot references in it, for example (as calamaties, for example). It's at their expense, yes, however it's not powered by bile but by cheekiness.
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 2) by mcgrew on Friday February 21 2014, @09:22PM
The cheap laughs will come when their user base deteriorates even farther. Kinda but not really offtopic, but your sig says you swear not to contribute there, well, I'm not going to do anything out of spite but to tell the truth, I haven't been there much since soylent went live. This is a much better site, no need to swear fealty to it. And there are still a lot of good nerds there who haven't come back from the dark side yet, how are you going to encourage them if you stay away from there?
Poe's Law [nooze.org] has nothing to do with Edgar Allen Poetry
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Saturday February 22 2014, @12:26PM
I have chosen the wording of my .sig, like I chose the wording of almost everything I write, quite precisely.
It's not a promise to avoid slashdot.
It's not swearing fealty to this site.
As you say, gently name-dropping of this site on that site is probably of more benefit to us than them. So an occasional pablum post to /. would be useful, just because of my oh-so-subtle .sig over there. That wouldn't be contribution, that would be if anything subversion, and I would consider it.
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 3, Interesting) by mcgrew on Saturday February 22 2014, @03:51PM
An interesting concept, thanks for sharing. Since soylent started I've been at /. less and less. I'll have to keep putting my journals over there since I need the audience; there are a couple hundred people reading my journals (as opposed to almost nobody here reading them) and a few of them have bought hardcover copies of Nobots. Any suggestions on how to get my slashdot audience to join us here would be appreciated.
I am posting journals here first, though. I like it better here, the aliterate and ignorant haven't found it yet.
Poe's Law [nooze.org] has nothing to do with Edgar Allen Poetry
(Score: 1) by rcamera on Thursday February 20 2014, @12:45PM
how is that different than the "dice.com" option? either way, 15 years from now, only us old folk will remember the origin of the meme. and we'll get to be all smarmy about it. i can hardly wait!
/* no comment */
(Score: 2, Interesting) by rival on Friday February 21 2014, @04:37PM
If we slam dice.com, we're going after someone's business name and they could come after us for libel; probably best to avoid that. Beta, on the other hand, is a generic term. We can always say we're against all forms of beta software, or even that we're just VHS fans.
I do think it's important we keep a meme to remember why Soylent News was started, though. Beta will stop being beta at some point soon, and just become Slashdot. As Slashdot continues to change over time, it will either eventually mutate beyond recognition or just go under. Either way, we don't want to forget where we've come from, either the good things or the bad. Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it.
That's the whole point of memes: to carry and communicate cultural ideas. We immediately think of humour, but they're just as present in learning and sharing history, values, trades/skills, &c. What do we want to remember?
(Score: 2, Informative) by rcamera on Friday February 21 2014, @05:30PM
/* no comment */
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Jerry Smith on Thursday February 20 2014, @01:02PM
No. It's good that there's a worthy tech news site now, and it's of no use to keep dragging the past. I like it in here and the vibe should be going on as it is, with that fresh look of 2004 :)
Sometimes it's better to stop pissing on the graves of your enemies, and start using the toilet again.
All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die.
(Score: 1) by cosurgi on Thursday February 20 2014, @03:24PM
well said
and also, I like very much this fresh 1998 look :)
#
#\ @ ? [adom.de] Colonize Mars [kozicki.pl]
#
(Score: 4, Funny) by Buck Feta on Friday February 21 2014, @01:26AM
It could be "Michael P. Durney".
Not the Michael P. Durney who's the CEO of Dice, but a totally different Michael P. Durney.
- fractious political commentary goes here -
(Score: 2) by mcgrew on Friday February 21 2014, @09:29PM
Nope, won't work unless you misspell it. There was a southern rock band a few decades ago who wanted to name their band after a hated gym teacher in high school, MCA's lawyers sayd "no" he'll sue and win. So rather than calling themselves Leonard Skinnard, they called it Lynard Skynard.
Better than "Michael P. Durney", make fun of that new mickey mouse interface and call it Micky P. Dumey.
Poe's Law [nooze.org] has nothing to do with Edgar Allen Poetry
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 20 2014, @09:58PM
Agreed!
(Score: 3, Funny) by kumanopuusan on Friday February 21 2014, @01:10AM
On that topic, does anyone know how long it will take to port Slashdot Beta to Slashcode so we can get those awesome features here, too?
(Score: 2) by mcgrew on Friday February 21 2014, @09:32PM
Is that a troll or just a sick joke?
Poe's Law [nooze.org] has nothing to do with Edgar Allen Poetry
(Score: 1) by kumanopuusan on Saturday February 22 2014, @11:42PM
A little from column a, a little from column B...
(Score: 1) by elgrantrolo on Friday February 21 2014, @08:06PM
I think it was on barrapunto.org that I saw a mention of a mysterious "Buck Feta".
(Score: 0) by FuckBeta on Saturday February 22 2014, @08:02PM
Came here to post this option.
We should have a subtle beta reference appropriate to each poll.
Quit Slashdot...because Fuck Beta!
(Score: 4, Insightful) by dingo on Thursday February 20 2014, @01:19AM
I wouldn't object to a 'CowboyNeal' option in polls as it dates back to times before a certain commercial entity got involved and /. still was about 'news for nerds... stuff that matters'.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 20 2014, @03:03AM
Soylent Neal? I voted for Soylent Noob.
(Score: 1) by Vanderhoth on Thursday February 20 2014, @11:44AM
I like Soylent Neal
"Now we know", "And knowing is half the battle". -G.I. Joooooe
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 21 2014, @01:52PM
Soylent Neal ... it's cowboys!
(Score: 1) by fx_68 on Saturday February 22 2014, @12:29AM
Soylent cowboy
Some where on the black vein highways of America......
(Score: 3, Funny) by Non Sequor on Thursday February 20 2014, @01:52AM
That's what she said.
Write your congressman. Tell him he sucks.
(Score: 3, Funny) by dvd on Thursday February 20 2014, @03:37AM
Clearly, CowboyNeal has succeeded in building a time machine and has sent NCommander, his younger self, to lead SN and its community to great heights. Who else could more appropriate?
NCommander is our Moses, etc.
(Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 21 2014, @05:23AM
NCommander is our soylent knight.
(Score: 2) by clone141166 on Sunday February 23 2014, @11:20PM
Soylent Knight? Isn't that a christmas carol?
(Score: 1) by sibiday fabis on Thursday February 20 2014, @03:49AM
Dice.com or Soylent Noob.
Soylent Noob, because Dice.com doesn't deserve any further publicity.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by sootman on Thursday February 20 2014, @04:27AM
Have joke answers, sure, but not the same joke every time. :-)
(Score: 2, Informative) by unitron on Thursday February 20 2014, @05:59AM
After awhile, the joke not changing becomes the joke.
something something Slashcott something something Beta something something
(Score: 2, Insightful) by sootman on Thursday February 20 2014, @02:14PM
True. But then eventually it just becomes not funny.
More than anything, just let things come naturally.
(Score: 2, Funny) by ableal on Friday February 21 2014, @06:25PM
> not the same joke every time
Agreed, but once in a while the choice could be "No dice".
(Score: 1) by Translation Error on Thursday February 20 2014, @04:40AM
(Score: 5, Interesting) by jcd on Thursday February 20 2014, @07:08AM
We're building a new community here - yes, one that has roots in the now-Dice-controlled land of Slashdot, but a new one nonetheless.
Why not have a running joke about cannibalism? It *is* called Soylent News, after all.
We can:
Our standard "none of the above" option could be a variation on, "nevermind that, I'm too busy eating people."
"What good's an honest soldier if he can be ordered to behave like a terrorist?"
(Score: 5, Insightful) by toastedlynx on Thursday February 20 2014, @09:13AM
While I like that suggestion, deciding on what will become the in-jokes of the community via a poll and suggestions in the comments thereof seems somewhat contrived and artificial.
I think the missing option here is "let one materialise naturally."
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Scandiacus on Thursday February 20 2014, @09:05PM
This. Internet community's and their associated memes aren't engineered - they evolve. In 6 months time there will be a slew of new memes and an emerging culture thriving here that will take hold powerfully, regardless of what engineered memes we try to force now. Just give it time and don't try too hard.
I for one welcome our naturally evolving meme overlords.
(Score: 1) by CoolHand on Friday February 21 2014, @06:29PM
This! The cannibal thing is fine, but sooner or later something will grow organically from the people of Soylent, and then we'll know what it is! Let it happen... :)
Anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job-Douglas Adams
(Score: 2, Funny) by Derp on Thursday February 20 2014, @03:25PM
CowboyMeal?
(Score: 3, Insightful) by mhajicek on Thursday February 20 2014, @04:23PM
Can't let clowns get into the mix; they taste funny.
The spacelike surfaces of time foliations can have a cusp at the surface of discontinuity. - P. Hajicek
(Score: 1) by Terence on Friday February 21 2014, @01:50AM
I like "Who's for lunch?"
Or "Meatloaf". Cuz Rocky Horror is still cool.
I value your opinion as much as the next person. Unfortunately the other person doesn't give a shit what you think.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 21 2014, @09:06PM
Is Soylent the permanent name? I find that unfortunate. It has bad connotations (cannibalism, as you point out). It feels icky and somewhat embarrassing. I am getting here via altslashdot.org but obviously that's a non-starter for a permanent name.
Soylent is really what it's going to be?
In my opinion that's a really bad choice for the ongoing success of the site.
(Long time /. lurker but I've never posted or registered before.)
(Score: 3, Interesting) by elf on Thursday February 20 2014, @10:45AM
I'd like to think this isn't slashdot but a new and better site, so I don't like any of the slashdot related options. If this site is to grow it should grow with on its own independantly.
My vote would be anything futurama related, I like the Bender Bot option (as Bender Bot is in IRC somewhere I think)
(Score: 2, Funny) by SomeRandomGeek on Friday February 21 2014, @06:45AM
We should start a new meme!
With hookers!
And blackjack!
Actually, forget the new meme!
(Score: 4, Insightful) by gallondr00nk on Thursday February 20 2014, @12:25PM
I think a community as vibrant as this one can easily start to come up with new memes and inside jokes.
I'm sure people can think of better ones, but you could use Charlton Heston as an option.
(Score: 1) by len_harms on Thursday February 20 2014, @03:42PM
Only from his cold dead fingers....
(Score: 1) by Acabatag on Monday February 24 2014, @12:12AM
I doubt he even has a ~/.plan file.
(Score: 1) by GungnirSniper on Friday February 21 2014, @01:44AM
You'll never take CowboyNeal from my cold dead fingers!
Tips for better submissions to help our site grow. [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 4, Funny) by animal on Thursday February 20 2014, @09:30PM
Soyled beta
(Score: 1) by basecase on Thursday February 20 2014, @10:45PM
We could use that last option as comic relief, just like CowboyNeil or we can use that to represent the a dice.com type response. The generic type of response we would expect from a corporate drone. Time will tell which On resonates more with the readers.
(Score: 1) by Buck Feta on Friday February 21 2014, @01:16AM
Cowboy Noob FTW
(or WTF, whatever it takes)
- fractious political commentary goes here -
(Score: 1) by el_isma on Friday February 21 2014, @02:19AM
I'm a bit afraid to ask, and I'll hopefuly get to keep my geek card, but what is Soylent? Why was it so relevant?
I understand it's a kind of food, but why is it so memorable?
(Score: 3, Informative) by GungnirSniper on Friday February 21 2014, @03:55AM
Soylent Green is people! [wikipedia.org] and is the origin of the name SoylentNews, because Dice Holdings simply didn't understand that what made Slashdot wasn't them, or solely the editors and staff there, but the posters. On a community-driven site, the posters are what make the site survive and thrive, not just the owners or editors.
Think of planting a garden, you may prep the ground and plant the initial seeds, and water them, but the plants themselves do the bulk of the work.
Tips for better submissions to help our site grow. [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 1) by medgooroo on Friday February 21 2014, @03:38PM
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soylent_Green/ [wikipedia.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 21 2014, @09:12PM
I just posted this above -- I find the name really off-putting precisely because of its cannibalistic meaning (eating human smoothie gruel). Is it really the permanent name?
Any chance of changing it to something not inherently revolting?
(Score: 2, Informative) by SMI on Saturday February 22 2014, @11:50AM
Maybe you aren't looking at it in the right light. Our common benefactor, Okian Warrior [soylentnews.org], chose the name because the "product" is "people". This site is about the same thing, people. It's us people that give value to a site like this, hence the "Soylent News ...is people!". While that last part might seem confusing to someone who is unfamiliar with the original film, I do think that he had exactly the right idea. I hope this gives you a different perspective (and feel free to check out the original film, while a bit dated these days, it is still worth watching).
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 24 2014, @04:20PM
Thank you for the response... Yes, I understand the intended double entendre and the tagline, but the whole point is that if you DO understand it, you're still reminded of the original meaning. It's unavoidable. It's just a pretty gross name, to me.
So for some of those who DO understand the meaning, it connotes something disgusting.
And for those who do NOT understand the meaning, their reaction is "wha? what does Soylent mean and what's it have to do with tech?"
The youngest of all might have only heard of the nutritionally suspect food replacement/kickstarter.
I wish this altslashdot site nothing but success and was all on board with Fuck Beta. I just think the name is a poor choice.
(Score: 3, Informative) by mcgrew on Friday February 21 2014, @09:40PM
Ah, to be young again. Soylent Green was a sci-fi movie from the 1960s that revolved around a future dystopia with shortages of food. Soylent Green was the most sought after food. Phere people were forced to suicide by society at a certain age (think Asimov's "The Sixty" or Running Man, same meme) to keep the population down. I have the tape, but alas my VCR died quite a while ago. I wonder where I can get a new one?
At the end of the movie it's revealed that soylent green is people.
Poe's Law [nooze.org] has nothing to do with Edgar Allen Poetry
(Score: 1) by randmcnatt on Saturday February 22 2014, @04:09AM
I don't know where you are, but if you can, try WalMart. Some of them still have tape-to-and-from-DVD player/recorders available.
The Wright brothers were not the first to fly: they were the first to land.
(Score: 1) by Acabatag on Monday February 24 2014, @12:15AM
Thrift stores! You can get really great VHS machines at thrift stores for under $10.
(Score: 1) by StarFall on Monday February 24 2014, @07:51AM
I hear it's available on DVD and Blu-ray these days, or if your a Prime member just stream it for free.
(Score: 1) by StarFall on Monday February 24 2014, @07:53AM
and the URL ;) http://www.amazon.com/Soylent-Green-Charlton-Hesto n/dp/B0016I0AJG/ [amazon.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 21 2014, @04:37AM
Mrs. Bun, IE: "I don't want any SPAM!"
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 21 2014, @06:47AM
I'd always hoped that the Microsoft Norway classic "...or vagina" [geekwire.com] would take off, but it never seemed to gain traction.
(Score: 0, Redundant) by marcello_dl on Friday February 21 2014, @02:23PM
Fine! I'll do my own news site, with blackjack and hookers, no?
So I propose "Furniture!"
(Score: 1) by RedGreen on Friday February 21 2014, @04:30PM
"I'll buy that for a nickel" would be my suggestion.
"I modded down, down, down, and the flames went higher." -- Sven Olsen
(Score: 1) by elias on Friday February 21 2014, @07:24PM
if only to stay with the "soylent" meme.
(Score: 1) by WildWombat on Friday February 21 2014, @08:39PM
*A mob of Soylers.
*A plate of Soylent Red. (My term for the site color, Soylent Red.)
or, my personal favorite, and option that says:
*Wombats are awesome. :)
Cheers,
-WW
(Score: 1) by lil'wombat on Sunday February 23 2014, @05:20AM
Forward the Wombats!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 21 2014, @09:00PM
Other (specify below)
Just that: Other (specify below)
(Score: 1) by pixeldyne on Sunday February 23 2014, @10:22PM
Oi, how about Jay and Soylent Bob?
Then there's also ED, that fella is mentioned in manystories.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by CowboyNeal on Sunday February 23 2014, @11:20PM
(This is your Evil Overlord speaking.)
One of our users registered "CowboyNeal" thinking it wouldn't work, but it did. He sheepishly PM'd and turned the account over to me. (An entirely hilarious conversation, BTW.)
CowboyNeal is still around (Google for his info) and I tried to contact him but the E-mail bounced with an "Inbox is full" message.
If anyone can find him for real please invite him to check out the site. Lots of people here would like to hear from him. Maybe we could do an "Ask Soylent News" article for him or something. I would give him control of the nick in a heartbeat.
John
(Score: 1) by Clev on Monday February 24 2014, @10:48AM
So in short, cut all ties, make up your own memes and don't give them a excuse.
(Score: 2, Informative) by Robotron on Monday February 24 2014, @05:23PM
CowboyNeal is has a bit more to it than a simple meme. It's a real person's handle for one - an old editor of Slashdot who has his own website [cowboyneal.org]. On polls it was often varied and played upon in numerous ways, sometimes to humorous comment. Thus it became a fixture.
I say keep it, but only when it's actually employed in a funny way or played upon somehow.
(Score: 1) by Boxzy on Monday February 24 2014, @11:15PM
There are many reasons to move on and forget the past but have we all forgotten the maxim: Those who do not learn from the past are doomed to repeat it?
Go green, Go Soylent.